Every Sunday morning and Tuesday evening, Hair teaches Vinyasa yoga, but the Tuesday session is a prenatal yoga class.

Over the years Hair has taught in homes and small studios, many of which were not as aesthetically pleasing and conducive to yoga as the Carnegie.

"The environment is nice. It definitely contributes to the overall quality experience. And Carnegie definitely has a charm that people remark upon. It is very spacious and simple.

"I have taught at studios where you could hear the bar next door, and the pool tables … It is helpful to be able to take a break and step back. And it is such a different place to step back."

On a Sunday morning in May, four of Hair's students stepped back into the Carnegie, as they planked, bent, reached, stretched and breathed to a number of moves that Hair called out in a relaxed voice.

The enormous ceilings provided no artificial light - only sunlight streamed through the old-world style windows and bounced off the wood floors and through the glass and wood partitions that separate the two wings.

The hardness of the walls and floors, the detail of the oak and marble trim, and the pliable humans holding positions in the mostly empty space seemed something like a living art exhibit, which was fitting since the promotion of art has been the mission of the Carnegie for two generations.

"A lot of people like myself grew up here. I went to the Carnegie as a kid … so I have like a complete mood alteration when I walk in, all those beautiful details are so pleasing. It is just so enjoyable.

"It's really a beautiful place. It has this strong central place. And it is very old and rooted. And it is right in the center of Walla Walla."